Okay, so you know me: I'm a big, big nerd and love creating
lists for the best summer reads each year. Yes, I posted a blog a couple weeks
ago of Amazon’s Top 100 Books to Read, but that was their list (not mine!) and
it was for a lifetime, not this summer on the beach. Here are some interesting
reads that I’ve found and am looking forward to. Have you found anything that
you’d want to add to the list? Let me know!
The Vacationers by Emma Staub is a contemporary piece of the
ups and downs of even a close-knit family, no matter the setting. The Post family in on a two
week vacation in Mallorca, Spain, but that certainly doesn’t stop their
problems from surfacing or dictate their story-plot in any way (in that this
isn’t some faked-happy, A-typical family vacation). As you’re riding the
emotional rollercoaster of their family dynamics you’ll be happy for the cool
drink you your hand and the slumbering SO by your side!
The Lemon Grove by Helen Walsh is a compelling story (also
developing during a pleasant family vacation) that crosses controversial
boundaries from happily married to sorted Mrs. Robinson-esque affairs. When a happily married Jenn goes from
innocently flirting with her stepdaughter’s new beau to dangerously more during
their Majorca getaway the story definitely steams up! Walsh creates an alluring
and addictive read that may warrant an extra layer of sunscreen (since you won’t
want to put it down to reapply any time soon).
Tiphanie Yanique’s Land of Love and Drowning is another
great find that will keep you reading this summer. Whether you’re hopping on a
plane for some tropical destination or lounging by the pool in your own
backyard, Yanique's novel is going to transport you to the tropical Virgin Islands
for this historical fiction tale. It chronologically accounts for 60 years and
3 generations of love, magic, and life for the Bradshaw family as the Virgin
Islands transferred from Dutch to American rule and as the cultural shifts follow
suit.
And possibly the most intriguing on the list is Summer House
With Swimming Pool by Herman Koch. When a well-known actor dies all eyes turn
to the prescription-doling physician Marc Schlosser. The book follows the twists
and turns of their association and their family summer spent together the previous year: full of flirtation, deception, and tragedy. Although this is the
longest (and, supposedly, most long-winded) book on the list, it may be the one
that you find more difficult to pull yourself away from.
Posted on Jun 3 2014 11:59AM
By LIFamilies
